Specialist Degree School Psychology | Office | Website

The University of Detroit Mercy offers a program designed to provide academic and professional training to those who wish to pursue careers as school psychologists. The program helps students develop a greater understanding of human diversity from an individual as well as ethnic and cultural perspectives. An appreciation for the dignity and intrinsic worth of all individuals and the importance of social justice is also emphasized.

Students in the program are expected to achieve a high level of competence in the application of psychological principles and techniques with children who have school-related problems in learning and adjustment. Work with families and school personnel is also an integral part of the training. We train school psychologists who are able to: (1) show a sound understanding of basic psychological and educational principles and processes; (2) practice in a manner driven by ethical principles and state and federal laws; (3) intervene in direct and indirect ways through such means as counseling, consultation, academic and behavioral planning, in-service training, and social skills training; (4) assess children and youth using a variety of assessment techniques such as interviews, observations, and standardized tests. (5) function in collaborative ways as members of multidisciplinary teams.

Each prospective student must have an overall grade point average of 2.50 (3.0 in psychology) for undergraduate and 3.0 for graduate work. In addition, the student must have completed 15 hours in undergraduate psychology courses, including introductory psychology, developmental or child psychology, and statistics. Applicants must also submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination General Aptitude Test. Because of the professional nature of the program, eligible candidates will be assessed by interview, recommendations and other means for necessary interpersonal qualifications before entering the program. Completed Applications should be submitted no later than February 1, to:

• Steve Coddington
• Graduate Admissions Counselor
• University of Detroit Mercy
• Admissions Office
• P.O. Box 19900
• Detroit, MI 48219-0900

The total specialist program involves 63 semester hours distributed as follows: 51 hours course work, six hours supervised field experience and a three credit hour specialist project. Because of the professional nature of the program, eligible candidates will be assessed by interview, recommendations and other means for necessary interpersonal qualifications before recommendation for their certification by the State Department of Education.